Chapter 355

Chapter 355: "Pamper Me." The candlelight in the room flickered occasionally, stretching two shadows. Breathing grew heavier and heavier. Xie Yunting pleaded in a low voice, over and over again, "Pamper me, sister... I... I'm so swollen it hurts." At some point, he had already wound himself around Cui Lingrong. He was indeed burning hot. His body felt as if it had been roasted over fire. Even the night breeze couldn't blow away the heat in the room. In matters of lovemaking, Xie Yunting had specially sought out several illustrated manuals, and his talent was astonishing. Early the next morning, the moment Cui Lingrong turned over, Xie Yunting pulled her into his arms again. "Sister treats me so well—I'll be sure to serve you even more diligently." Having already slept together, Xie Yunting grew even more shameless. After all, he didn't care about face; in his own woman's bed, why bother with all that pretense? "If sister can't sleep, why don't we do some morning exercise?" "Xie Yunting!" Cui Lingrong simply couldn't act the wanton part, but she couldn't push him away either, so she could only murmur, "Stop fooling around." Xie Yunting knew when to quit. "Fine, then I'll remember this morning's—you owe me one tonight." He got up to dress, quick and nimble, and slipped out the window in a flash. When Nanny Qiu came in, she seemed to want to say something but held back. Nanny Qiu was her personal attendant. Having heard the commotion in the room this morning, and seeing the red marks on her mistress's body, there was nothing she didn't understand. "It was Xie Yunting," Cui Lingrong said. "You..." "Mutual consent. No need to worry." Cui Lingrong still felt a bit awkward, but with her saying so, Nanny Qiu breathed a sigh of relief. "Do you plan to marry..." "I have no such plan," Cui Lingrong said. "Xie Yunting is a military general valued by the Emperor. If I married him, I'd inevitably have to socialize with all those people in Bianjing. But I'm tired. I don't want to live among schemes and intrigues anymore." Nanny Qiu was still a little worried. "But General Xie is a dragon among men. What if one day he wants to marry someone else?" If her mistress didn't marry him and General Xie ended up with another woman, wouldn't her mistress have suffered a great loss? Cui Lingrong, however, said, "If he has that thought, it means our values don't align, and we'll simply part ways. Nanny Qiu, I'm not in my teens anymore. Going through one mutual divorce counts as living a second life. Why bother with such calculations? Parting on good terms is enough." Right now, she and Xie Yunting were good together, so she'd seize the moment for pleasure. She craved the warmth Xie Yunting gave her, and Xie Yunting got the pleasures of man and woman—each taking what they needed. As for marriage, Cui Lingrong had no desire to live a life of managing a household and raising children again. Cui Lingrong had her own things to do. As long as Xie Yunting was willing to continue this arrangement, she would go on. If one day Xie Yunting no longer wanted it, she might be sad, but her original intentions wouldn't change. Hearing her mistress speak so clearly, Nanny Qiu knew she had thought it through. "As long as you've made up your mind, this servant supports you." "But about this matter—don't tell anyone else. Yu-jie is about to be married off, and Xuan-ge needs to prepare for the Imperial Examination. This is my affair; they don't need to know." Cui Lingrong also found it a bit hard to say aloud. She had always been a very proper person. Now that she was involved with Xie Yunting, she felt conflicted inside, but she would work on adjusting her mindset. What's done is done—might as well enjoy it. Nanny Qiu said she understood. "Speaking of which, the Autumn Hunt is coming up." "Yes, Song Shulan will go, won't he?" Cui Lingrong asked. "Barring any accidents, he should. After all, Marquis Song is now hoping to latch onto some powerful noble." Nanny Qiu thought about how Marquis Song would end up with a broken leg, and she felt quite anticipatory. "Has General Xie prepared everything?" Cui Lingrong nodded. "Just waiting for Song Shulan to go to the Autumn Hunt." After breakfast, Cui Lingrong felt exhausted. She had to admit, Xie Yunting was especially addicted to that sort of thing. Four times last night, no less. If she hadn't been completely spent, Xie Yunting probably would have clung to her until dawn. Come to think of it, when she had first married Song Shulan, he had been just as demanding. But Xie Yunting was a military man with better stamina, able to keep going... Cui Lingrong's face grew hot again. She couldn't think about it. Any more thinking and she'd be too embarrassed. That evening, Xie Yunting came again. Having just tasted the pleasures of the flesh, he was at the height of his obsession—from repeated calls of "sister" to finally murmuring "Lingrong," those cries continued all the way until the day of the Autumn Hunt. Cui Lingrong wasn't attending the Autumn Hunt. Xie Yunting had to accompany the Emperor, so Cui Lingrong finally got a few days of peace. What surprised Cui Lingrong, however, was that Song Shulan hadn't gone to the Autumn Hunt. She sent someone to inquire and learned that Old Madame Song had fallen ill. With the great upheaval in the Jiangyuan Marquis Mansion, Old Madame Song's health had been deteriorating day by day under the strain. As the eldest son, Song Shulan had no choice but to remain at the Jiangyuan Marquis Mansion to tend to his mother. Upon learning this, Cui Lingrong hurriedly sent for You Shuyi. "Old Madame Song doesn't seem to be doing well. Although it's a generation removed, if Old Madame Song truly passes, Yu-jie will have to observe mourning for a period as well." Cui Lingrong had originally wanted to keep Yu-jie for a while longer until after the new year. "I was thinking—perhaps we should hold the wedding earlier, to avoid any further complications." Since the bride's side had raised the matter, You Shuyi naturally had no reason to refuse. "Fine, I'll follow your lead. I'll send a letter to Suzhou right away to have the old estate start preparations." The Luo family's ancestral home was in Suzhou, so if they were to wait for the wedding procession to come all the way from Suzhou, the round trip would take a very long time. Fortunately, Luo Feng was already in Bianjing, and with You Shuyi as an elder present, they could hold the wedding procession directly and perform the formal ceremony once they reached Suzhou. Once both sides had agreed, Cui Lingrong had people begin preparations. Yu-jie's dowry had long been prepared by Cui Lingrong, so even with the earlier date, there was no need to scramble. After everything was settled, Cui Lingrong sent someone to notify Song Shulan. Song Shulan stormed over furiously. "Yu-jie is my daughter, after all. You arranged her marriage without saying a word to me, and now you've moved up the wedding date without telling me either. Do you have any regard for me at all?" "If you weren't Yu-jie's father, I wouldn't even bother to notify you." Cui Lingrong gave a cold snort. She couldn't even be bothered to look at Song Shulan now. "Telling you at all is already doing you a favor. If you don't show up, then don't ever claim Yu-jie as your daughter again." "Cui Lingrong, you... you're going too far!" "Enough, I don't have time to argue with you." Cui Lingrong suddenly thought of something, and a mocking smile tugged at her thin lips. "I hear someone's been trying to arrange a match for you. But I'd advise you to drop that idea. You can't even perform as a man—don't go ruining some poor girl's life." Song Shulan had lost both his wives, and while outsiders found it somewhat suspicious, he was still from a marquis household, so some families of modest means had begun to entertain thoughts of marrying into it. As for Song Shulan himself, he was still an official and would need to host and attend social engagements in the future. Without a mistress of the household, things would be inconvenient. So he had been considering whether to marry a wife from a lower-status family—someone he could control and keep his secret safe from. But he hadn't expected Cui Lingrong to bring it up. "Lady Cui, you said your business has nothing to do with me, yet you're so anxious upon hearing I might remarry. Surely you can't still be thinking of me?" "Song Shulan, you really know how to turn one's stomach." Cui Lingrong was speechless. "I'd sooner fancy a toad than a man as broken as you. Enough—there's no reasoning with you. Just wait for the wedding feast and stop blathering on here." If Song Shulan actually went after someone, don't blame her for having a word or two with the woman in question. Whoever married that useless wreck Song Shulan would have their life ruined. Cui Lingrong told Song Shulan to get lost, and two burly guards immediately appeared and escorted him out. Song Shulan looked at the two unfamiliar faces and asked who they were, but they ignored him completely. These two guards had been specially sent by Xie Yunting to protect Cui Lingrong—men with excellent martial arts skills.